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JAPANESE OBJECTS FROM THE COLLECTION
Early Japanese Sculpture
Japanese Buddhist Art
Muromachi Period Painting
Kano School Painting
Rinpa Paintings
Japanese Woodblock Prints
Japanese Stoneware
Japanese Porcelains
Woman Wiping Her Neck
Eishosai Choki (active about 1786 - 1808)
Japan; Edo period (1615-1867), 1795 - 1796
Woodblock print; Ink, color, and mica on paper
H. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm); W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art
1979.222
Gazing absentmindedly into space, the unidentified young woman in this okubi-e format print languorously wipes her neck with a handkerchief. Her actions and the view of a mosquito net (presumably covering a bed) to her left illustrate the contemporary ditty written in the cartouche. It tells of a woman who, dreaming of her lover, awakens in the night to find his clothing on her bed. Whether he was actually present or only a dream, her longing for him has aroused her, and she can no longer sleep. Little is known of the artist other than that he used two different names, Choki and Shiko, and it has been suggested that there is a link between his use of a certain style and each name.
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